Last week, Athens Fire Department worked to spread fire prevention awareness during its 85th annual Fire Prevention Week.

Over the course of Fire Prevention Week, spanning from Oct. 5 to 11, the Athens Fire Department visited several elementary schools to teach good fire prevention habits, Fire Prevention Officer Lt. Bruce Smith said.

“Younger kids remember all that stuff; older kids just don’t pay attention,” Smith said.

Representatives from the fire department visited five elementary schools in the area to go over fire prevention techniques such as checking fire detectors, designating escape routes and practicing “stop, drop and roll.”  Representatives will be teaching prevention tips at the Athens Church of Christ Preschool this week,  and school groups will visit the fire department Wednesday.

“Every year we do it, the kids know the answers,” Smith said.  “Sometimes they can say the answers word for word from the year before.”

Some of the most common problems the Athens Fire Department sees are situations when someone who is drunk puts something in the oven and neglects it, Smith said.  

Cigarettes that are stuck down in couches and clothes that are piled too close to gas or hot water tanks are other common problems, he added.

“Most of the problems are just careless stuff,” Smith said.

In 2008, 135 people have died in fires in Ohio. More than 85 percent of the fatal fires occurred in homes without smoke detectors or in homes where smoke detectors did not function, according to a news release from State Fire Marshal Michael Bell.

Smith said that there have been three fire related deaths since he started working for the Athens Fire Department in 1992.

“It is important to remember that many house fires that occur in Ohio are preventable when residents take simple steps to increase their fire safety,” Bell said in the release.  “Whether it’s smoking outside the home, keeping space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn or staying in the kitchen when you are using the stovetop, there are easy things you can do to keep your family and your home safe from fire.”

Athens Fire Department also recommends avoiding smoking around flammables such as aerosol spray cans and nail polish, checking smoke detectors monthly, practicing caution with candles, unplugging all heat generating appliances such as clothing irons and curling irons before leaving the room and using safe cooking techniques, according to its Web site.  

“Fire safety is something to think about every day, not just during Fire Prevention Week,” Smith said.

Now celebrating its 85th year, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record, according to the press release.